Thursday, September 30, 2010

The Ural Has Returned

I dropped my 2009 Ural Patrol off at St. Croix Ural on September 4th. They called me last night to tell me it was ready, and I was able to get it today.

They fixed the loose connections in the speedo that were causing the dash lights not to work. They also repaired the two broken wheels.

The spokes had come loose prematurely (~200 miles) and damaged the hubs. Both the two hubs and all of the spokes were replaced under the warranty.

Initially, St. Croix Ural didn’t want to replace the wheels under the warranty, even though this was the same problem I had experienced earlier this summer (which was covered). After entirely too much arguing, they agreed to call Ural. Ural, of course, covered the repair.

St. Croix Ural said they ordered the parts on 9/9/2010 and that Ural had them in stock. The parts (new hubs and spokes) didn’t arrive until 9/28/2010. The dealer said that Ural didn’t ship the parts when they ordered them and waited an extra week. Weird.

They relaced the two wheels and put them on the bike. They also said they checked the alignment which was “in spec” to them. Riding out of the parking lot it did feel a bit better than before, but it still pulls to the right.

St. Croix Ural still has no explanation for the cause of the problem. I’m tired of dealing with them. I will be visiting Kevin of Scrambler Cycle soon and hopefully get it sorted correctly.

For a Ural dealer, there aren’t many Urals around… not even a sidecar in sight. Just one sitting out front for sale.

No Ural sign visible either…

I hope today will be my last visit to New Richmond, WI.

We got going a bit late and were stuck in bad traffic, so I was unable to get photos of the beautiful fall colors along the St. Croix River (hopefully this weekend!).

I’m quite glad to have my Ural back. I need to start getting ready for winter!

10 comments:

Chris, I continue to have my own dealer/parts drama. The details are boring and really aren't as important as the frustration that this brings. May your time of frustration be over. I am glad you have your Ural back and can get ready for the snow.

I admit some envy toward your garage full of "tools". I only have the one bike and no room in the garage for more. That doesn't stop me from looking, figuring, and dreaming. Even though there isn't room for a sidecar rig in the garage I do go back to it from time to time. Of course, those winter days are when I think most about it...but, the car I drive gets better mpg than an Ural and there is the dealer issue. Although I've heard very good things about the dealer near here. But oh my, watching you go in the snow late last winter.

Fortunately, I didn't miss many days last winter due to weather. The climate here isn't as snowful as where you are or back home in Michigan.

I did look at a Piaggio MP3, but I suspect it wouldn't be much better in the snow than my wee chariot. Got an opinion?

Enjoy getting to know your Ural again. When they are at the dealer that long it's almost like getting a new bike, yes?....no LOL.

It's easy to make room in the garage. You can do exactly what I did and sell your car. It frees up a ton of room! :) :) It's the only way I could afford the Ural. If you made me do it over, I would consider building a sidecar rig for winter from a BMW or similar. Parts would be a bit easier to get and there would be more power. Going up the large hills here and not being able to keep up with the traffic is annoying at times. I'm sure Dom can relate with mountains, as I imagine they are worse.

I think the MP3s wheels would be too close together to offer much stability in slippy conditions. You could get a sidecar for your scooter. I have seen a number of them around town. Lots of options on craigslist and ebay, but something like this: http://www.scooter-sidecars.com/

Dom: You and me both! It pulls to the right with the throttle lock on and hands off. It won't go in a straight line by itself for more than 10'. I'm not talking about the usual pulling side to side under deceleration/acceleration as the bike/cart try to rotate around each other.

Dom: Thanks for the ideas. I will check the hub next time I ride. It doesn't feel like the brake is dragging, but it could be I guess. The dealer checked the geometries twice and assures me it is "in spec". I plan on having it checked again when I go get my winter tires from the new service guy.

Dom: I change the damper depending on the ride. I usually have it tightened until I just feel some resistance. I'd say in the middle. I like it just enough to keep the front wheel from wobbling on bumps. On a long, straight road I'll crank it tight and relax a bit.

Chris, we are on the same page about the MP3. I have three reasons I can't get ride of the car in the garage. One and two are the tanpoura and the yayli tanbur, both large musical instruments I play and must transport. Number three: It's my sweetie's car. Oh well :-)

That said, there is always a stay tuned isn't there LOL

Who knows maybe something like Dom's friend has rigged up...sort of an outrigger type thing.

Keith: The car can always park outside ;) Since you don't get much snow, you probably don't need the Ural's 2WD. A regular sidecar would work fine. I saw one yesterday on a goldwing that was fully enclosed and would have had plenty of room for your instruments. I could lay down inside. It was huge!